Episodes

We've compiled the best of Anthony Bourdain's Latin America trips in The Latin America Files - Volume 4, in which he further explores Colombia, Brazil and Chile.
In Cartagena, Colombia, Tony joins chef Jorge Escandon at his restaurant, La Cevicheria, for some delicious fresh seafood. They visit the Central market and enjoy a meal with local market workers at Cecilia. Across the channel from Cartagena is Tierra Bomba, an island with a completely different way of life than its bustling sister city. Arnufo, a local lobster fisherman, invites Tony and Jorge to a meal at his mother's restaurant, complete with lobster that Arnufo caught that morning. Back on the mainland, Jorge shows Tony a popular late-night snack in the town of San Antonio: fried pig intestines and boiled pig ears. In Belem, Brazil, Tony meets up with Felipe, a local food enthusiast, and chef Oliviera de Ofir, an expert on indigenous Amazonian cuisine. Tony is led to the fish market, where he is introduced to the massive filhote catfish. He convinces the fishmonger to slice a sashimi-thin piece from the belly and eats it raw, something unheard of in Brazil. It was fantastic. Tony heads down the Amazon with his guide Caito, to meet up with Dr. Urano Carualho, a botanist specializing in Amazonian fauna. Dr. Carualho collects the prized acai berry and shows Tony how it is prepared. Next, Tony heads to Mexiana Island, where an enormous fish is said to lurk. Tony is determined to find the pirarucu, a prehistoric delicacy. With the help of local fishermen they set off into the jungle, moving through murky water until an enormous form breaks the water's surface. After landing in Santiago, Chile, Tony's friend Raul takes him to a country town in the Corrico Valley to experience a favorite pastime in Chile: the rodeo. Yes, there are horses, cowboys, and ropes, this rodeo is as much about the food as it is about the action.

We've compiled the best of Anthony Bourdain's Latin America trips in The Latin America Files - Volume 3, in which he further explores Mexico, Panama and Nicaragua. Tony meets his friends Carlos and Martin in Mexico City at Cantina La Mascota. In Mexico City, a cantina is a bar where the more you drink, the more delicious food is brought your way. After that, they head off to one of the training centers for Lucha Libre. Similar to the American WWE with a bit more flair, Lucha Libre is one of the great Mexican sports beloved by all. Champion wrestler El Octagon teaches the three friends a few moves in the ring and shows them why he is the reigning champion. Then they explore a bit of Mexico's history, traveling down river just as the Aztecs did hundreds of years ago. At the end of an isolated canal, the three come upon Diego Rivera living on the Island of the Dolls, a weirdly creepy wonderland filled with headless doll bodies, doll heads, and various body parts strewn throughout the trees. Sufficiently creeped out, Tony and friends need a drink to calm their nerves and head to a neighborhood joint serving up suspicious-looking fermented cactus sap that provides a happy buzz. Carlos takes Tony back to his family home in Pueblo, Mexico, where his relatives have gathered for a feast of epic proportions... from tamales to tortillas to the perfect mole poblano. In Panama, Tony treks through the Darien Gap, one of the most dangerous jungles in the world. From malaria to snakes with heads as large as your fist, the Darien is about as primordial as it gets. After braving the gap, Tony savors his continued existence. In Nicaragua, Tony meets up with a local, Walter Delgado, to discover what it truly means to live in Managua today. Tony moves on to the city of Esteli, and is given a traditional Sunday supper of mondongo, a tripe and vegetable stew. Finally Tony is taken to the butcher to buy pig's blood to help make blood sausage.

As far as world cuisines go, China is the big one. It's one of the earliest and most important cradles of civilization. But, believe it or not, Tony has never been to China before! So tackling Beijing and Chengdu on his first trip to the country he decides to squeeze in as much food and culture as humanly possible. He visits Tiananmen Square, dines at Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant, learns about calligraphy when he meets a local artist and Chinese Calligrapher as well as tour the countryside in HuangLongXi. And this is just a taste of what Tony does on his visit to China.

We've compiled the best of Anthony Bourdain's Europe trips in The Europe Files - Volume 5, in which he explores Scotland, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Croatia.
Tony lands in Edinburgh, Scotland to meet with one of his literary heroes, Ian Rankin, a best-selling crime author. However, before he was a crime author, Rankin worked as a grape-picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher, and punk musician. Then Tony journeys to Romania, a land with a legacy of a Communist regime that still haunts its villages and countryside. Tony and Zamir head into the Romanian countryside in their rented Dacia, the national car of Romania. Tony and his friend Zamir reach the Maramures region in Northern Romania, an area of villages preserved in almost medieval isolation. In the village of Vadu Izei lives Zamir's aunt, Bell Doina, who is busy preparing for Zamir's birthday celebration that night. There's live music, food, plenty of drinks, and a golden brown pig. Next, Tony visits Prague, capital of the Czech Republic and the world's capital for beer. With the help of some local experts, Tony tests the new culinary landscape in the "city of spires." Finally, he's off to Croatia, now touted as The New Riviera. Celebrities and oligarchs swarm the coastal islands as foodies roam the hills in search of truffles, wild asparagus and local wineries. Tony explores the Istria and Dalmatian regions and literally gets knocked off his feet by what he finds.

We've compiled the best of Anthony Bourdain's Europe trips in The Europe Files - Volume 7, in which he explores Italy and Spain. Tony and his wife, Ottavia, travel to Sardinia, Italy, to visit her family. They head to one of their favorite agritourismos for an array of freshly made pastas, cheeses, and meats, along with wild rabbit and partridge, topped off by fresh farmer cheese and sweet honey. Then Tony reunites with two friends, Carlos and Lisa, at Zia Forica, to sample some foods of the region, specifically snails. Later, Tony and his extended family visit the festival of San Francesco in Lula, to attend a meal for local workers and enjoy the traditions and foods. Then, Aunt Andreana arranges a special seafood meal for Ottavia and Tony, along with some of Ottavia's cousins. They enjoy bottarga, the dried salted roe of the local mullet fish, delicious spiny lobster, and a rich pasta cooked with olive oil and sprinkled with bottarga powder, a dish that, according to Tony is, 'absolutely perfect.' Next, Tony heads to Madrid, Spain, to dine on signature Spanish fare. He get's special treatment at Diverxo, one of Madrid's most exclusive restaurants, where he dines on scallops, tangeri crabs and black pudding dim sum with quail egg. In Naples, Italy, Tony meets Josepina, the eighty-year-old mother of the production driver, to enjoy a classic ragu. Virgin olive oil, onion and garlic are combined with sausage, veal shank, and pork neck in tomato sauce, simmered for five to six hours. Josepina brings a bitter, local vegetable to the table to compliment the meal, fiorelli. Back in New York, Tony visits Italian American chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone at Torrisi Italian Specialties. The chefs serve up "neighborhood dishes," which pay homage to the traditional neighbors of Italian Americans, including a lamb tongue gyro salad and fried rice with sweet pork sausage and American prosciutto, washed down with Schaefer beer.